NYC Has Paid $1.5 Million in Settlement Money Thanks to One NYPD Lieutenant and His Team

New York City has paid $1.5 million in settlement money because one NYPD Lieutenant and his band of followers. Lt. Daniel Sbarra, who heads the Brooklyn North Narcotics squad, is no stranger to controversy. He's been hit with 30 CCRB complaints, and victims say he and his officers have used racial slurs, excessive force and performed illegal searches. Despite all of this, he was still promoted and given a raise in 2011.

Sbarra and another officer were accused of calling a barbershop owner a "n*****" during a Bushwick traffic stop. The man received nearly $20,000 in settlement money, and the city actually refused to represent Sbarra, forcing him to pay $1,000 on his own. He was also accused of planting marijuana on a city paralegal after humiliating him by yanking his underwear down during a strip search conducted at the 81st precinct in Bed-Stuy.

There are an astonishing 60 pending cases against Team Sbarra. Don't be surprised if that number exceeds 60.